Amusement device



June 7, 1932. E. H. GEHM AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed July 7, 1930 3 Shee ts-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I E. H Gghm ATTORN EY June 7, 1932. E GEHM 1,861,597

AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed July .7, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 THIIIIIHIIWIII Wil HHINUII imnmmmuii JHlllllllllllllfliHIHIWIHW June-7, 1932. E. H. GEHM AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed July 7, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR .E'. if. Gebm BY Q gl mm ATTORNEY Patented June 7, 1932 PATENT OFFICE EUGENE H. GEHM, F STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA AMUSEMENT DEVICE Application filed. July 7, 1930.. Serial No. 465,809.

This invention relates to amusement devices, and especially to those of that character commonly known as Ferris wheels, such as are mounted on fair and carnival grounds,

in amusement parks, and various resorts, to

give the patrons of such places an unusual form of ride.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of this general character in which the wheel is mounted both for vertical rotation and horizontal turning movement. The passengers therefore travel in an upward and downward spiral movement as the wheel revolves and turns, giving them a novel and thrilling form of ride and a consequently pleasing form of amusement. The apparatus while having this novel movement is comparatively simple of construction and operation, and maybe very easily made so as to be entirely safe for passengers of all a 'es.

These objects I accomplish by .means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. l is a front elevation of my improved amusement device.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section showing the mounting and connection of the wheels with the supporting and driving mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the base support for the central post.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the

- 7 structure comprises a rigid vertical post 1,

which forms the main support and the axis of horizontal movement of the wheels of the structure. The post is supported from the ground in a rigid and non-turnable manner by suitable means. This may be a permanent bed or foundation, but in the present instance itis shown as being of a character which makes the structure relatively portable or capable of being easily dismantled, as is frequently desired. Such supporting means comprises a socket 2 in which the lower end of the post non-turnably seats, said socket having top and bottom flanges which are secured to correspondingly disposed gusset plates 8. Between and secured to these plates are diametrically opposed supporting girders 4, which rest on theground and radiate from the plates a sufficient distance to provide a substantial and non-tipping support for the entire apparatus.

Turnable on the post is a sleeve 5 which extends from adjacent the lower to adjacent the upper end of said post; annular ball bearings 6 or the like being disposed between the sleeve and post at their opposite ends to promote ease of rotation of the sleeve about the post. At its upper end and extending downwardly a relatively short distance, the sleeve has a case member 7 disposed thereabove and rigidly secured thereto; said member forming the supports for the adjacent ends of oppositely extending horizontal spindles 8. The weight of this member and sleeve and the parts supported thereby is preferably carried by thrust bearings 9 disposed between the lower end of the member 7 and the cap plate 10 of a tower 11 which projects upwardly from the upper plate 3 in surrounding relation. to the post and sleeve. 7

Sleeves 12 are turnably mounted on the spindles 8 independently of each other, which sleeves form the hubs of the wheels. Each wheel preferably comprises arms or spokes l3 radiating from the hub and secured thereto and diverging somewhat outwardly from a vertical plane, so as to avoid contact with the tower. Radial braces 14 preferably extend vertically from the outer ends of the arms to the outer ends of the hub, so as to hold the arms against transverse deflection; while tension rods 15 connect the outer ends of the arms of each wheel to each other to brace the same against deflection'fromtheir radial positions. Spindles 16 parallel to the spindle 8 project outwardly from the outer ends of all the arms and form pivotal sup ports from the arms or stirrups 17 of the passenger carrying cars 18, which are of the usual character used on such wheels. The series of cars on the two wheels are arranged Secured to the sleeve 5 adjacent its lower end is a bevel gear 20, engaged by'a pinion 21 which is driven by an electric motor 22 or the like. This driving mechanism of course rotates the sleeve and also causes the spindles 8, which are fixed in connection with said sleeve, to turn horizontally about the post 1 as an axis. At the same time the wheels are rotated on the spindles 8 by bevel gears 23 fixed on the corresponding hubs or sleeves 12, both gears simultaneously engaging a pinion 24: fixed on the post above the sleeve 8. The wheels being oppositely disposed relative to the post, the structure is at all times well balanced, thus avoiding any tendency to deflect the post from a vertical position, and said balancing is aided by the rotation of the wheels in the opposite direction relative to each other, which tends to eliminate vibration to a certain extent. Another idler pinion 25 may if desired be mounted on the member 7 adjacent its lower end to engage the bevel gears in opposed relation to the point of engagement of the pinion 24 with said gears. As a result of this combined rotative and horizontal movement of the wheels each car moves through a spiral path of gradually increasing radius from the bottom position of the car to the horizontal plane of the axis of the wheel, or centrally of its length of travel. Y Said car then moves through a correspondingspiral of decreasing radius from its central to its topmost position. The above spiral movements both take place in one direction of rotation, but the return or downward spiral movement, while of the same reversely tapered form, takes place in the opposite direction. The number of turns of the spiral between the top and bottom positions of the cars of course depends on the relative speeds of the wheel in its rotating or vertical and horizontal directions.

It'will also be seen that in addition to their spiral movement, the cars, owing to their pivotal mounting on the wheel-arm spindles, are subjected to the action of centrifugal force. This force is set .up with the horizontal turning of the wheels, and obviously exerts its greatest efiect on the cars when the latter are in the horizontal plane of the wheel spindles, and the cars will then tend to swing out of plumb and away from the wheels.

From this horizontal central plane, both up and down, the action or eifect of the centrifugal force on the cars gradually decreases, until when the cars are at their topmost and lowermost positions, it is practically nil.

The structure may also be arranged so that the wheels'will only be rotated about their spindles as desired, instead of having the additional horizontal movement. This may easily be done by turnably mounting the central post in its support, and selectively controlling the rotation of the post and the surrounding sleeve relative to each other; since if theiwheel supporting sleeve is held stationary and the post is rotated, the wheels will be rotated only about the spindles, as will be evident. i

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as will substantially fulfill the objects of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations A from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an amusement device, a base, a post upstanding therefrom, a I sleeve turnably mounted on the post and extending from the base to adjacent the upper end of the post, horizontal spindles extending radially of the post toward its upper end, a member on the sleeve supporting the spindles, a support for the lower end of the member independent of the sleeve, means for driving the sleeve from adjacent the base, passenger carrying devices mounted on the spindles, and driving connections between the devices andpost to rotate the former with the rotation of the sleeve. I

2. In an amusement device, a base, a post upstanding therefrom, a sleeve turnably mounted on the post and extending from the base to adjacent the upper end of the post, horizontal spindles extending radially of the post toward its upper end, a relatively short member fixed 011 the sleeve and supporting the spindles, a tower upstanding from the base about the post, a thrust bearing between the upper end of the tower and the lower end of the member, means to rotate the sleeve, passenger carrying devices mounted on the spindles, and means to rotate saidxdevices with the rotation of the sleeve.

In an amusement device, a base, a post horizontal spindles extending radially of the post toward its upper end, means fixedly supporting the inner ends of said spindles in connection with the sleeve, passenger carrying devices turnably mounted on the spindles, means to rotate the sleeve and gearing connections between the devices and the post to rotate said devices with the rotation of the sleeve.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EUGENE H. GEHM. 

